Dear All,
I will be flying to SIN in August and would like to fly to KUL for a few days, according to MH website they indicate they have a Y shuttle fare for S$115 SIN-KUL and MYR167 KUL-SIN, now I called MH about these fares as I cant book them here in Australia, they said there are standby fares which you buy at the airport. Now going to KUL from SIN I have no problem, but coming back I have a connecting flight to LAX in the afternoon, if I can't get a standby ticket back to SIN I am stuffed! Has anybody had experience with these fares?Are my chances of getting 2 seats good? My main reason for not buying a return fare is that the price more than doubles! Is there somwhere I can book these fares cheaper online? Any help would be great

You should be able to book these segments from Australia as they are operated as any ordinary scheduled flights. For the SIN-KUL shuttle, you do not necessarily have to fly on MH as these fares are applicable for SQ as well, just to broaden your choices of timings (and aircraft types).

I also tried to book the same fare from the USA and wasn't allowed to. I called the MH office on San Francisco and was told that the fare was a "special fare" only available in Malaysia. When I asked what fare they could offer over the phone she quoted a published fare of US$388!

The agent recommended that I try Expedia where I was able to book a fare for US$215 return.

The KL-SIN shuttle has been in operation for about 30 years and until recently gave an excellent high-frequency, low-cost service between the two cities. However, in light of SARS - things have changed for the worse.

Both SQ and MAS have reduced their flight frequencies on the route such that the so-called 'shuttle' service is almost now defunct.

In a nutshell,

1. You can book a reserved seat on any service with SQ or MAS as you would normally book any other flight from anywhere in the world - MAS and SQ offer First (F) and Economy (Y) fares on the KL-SIN route.

2. You can also buy a 'shuttle' ('YU' class) ticket (which is what you are referring to) only by turning up at Changi or KLIA and paying up front (at the ticketing desks) and obtaining a 'queue number' - which will be called in turn, to fill any empty seats shortly before flights close. MAS and SQ share this unique 'shuttle service' (probably the only one of its kind in the world) - as you can travel on either airline regardless - if you hold a 'Shuttle' (or 'U' class ticket) - ie. first-come-first-served-take-the-next-available-seat.

3. The above system worked brilliantly in the days when both carriers operated up to at least an hourly service - much like a bus-service and during the holidays - many flights were flown using 747s - full to the brim.

4. It was even better for some when the Malaysian Ringgit devalued as 'Shuttle' tickets can only be bought one-way and the fares were fixed, so it was much cheaper to buy two one-way shuttles and take advantage of the lower ringgit at the KL-end - this however, was ok since there was rarely a problem with obtaining seats as a 'shuttle' holder.

I often have to do what you are doing at Singapore due to the lack of availability to KL and decided that the best option is to arrive at Changi and proceed up to MAS' ticketing counter at check-in and ask how the shuttle loads are doing that day/evening or whenever. The staff would often give you some indication if loads are heavy or light and if its ok - save a few $$$ and pick up a shuttle number.

On the way back however (in light of the reduced services nowadays) - if it's a connecting flight you want and you don't want to risk spending the whole day at KLIA or Changi waiting or even risk not getting on a flight that day (almost unheard of!) - then purchase a normal 'Y' ticket to connect for your flight to the USA. You can certainly book and pay for this sector in Australia or anywhere indeed. Remember this KUL-SIN fare will be in MYR - so will be cheaper anyway than a 'normal' SIN-KUL fare.

Hope that helps - have a great time!

NB - If time is not a factor and you don't have much luggage - nip across to Johor Bahru and catch the JB-KL service and for less than an Economy fare on the Shuttle - you get to fly in Golden Club!

Mas777 has covered most of the points, but I would stress that the SG-KL-SG flights are running for the most part very full at the moment. Therefore, I would tend to err of the side of caution and get a confirmed seat as soon as you can...

I just would like to mention, that a UL / WMKK), Malaysia">KUL-SIN-UL / WMKK), Malaysia">KUL ticket is cheaper than a SIN-UL / WMKK), Malaysia">KUL-SIN. If you buy a fullfare ticket you might use other airlines flying on this sectors as well.

I just have seen that JAL stopped the flight from KIX via SIN to UL / WMKK), Malaysia">KUL so this option is out at the moment. But on UL / WMKK), Malaysia">KUL-SIN you have UL and AI flying and accepting full fare coupons. On SIN-UL / WMKK), Malaysia">KUL there is a MH9000 flight on KE (KE it self doesn't have 5th freedom rights)

I will do the shuttle to KUL from SIN which is S$115 and I will get a confirmned Y fare from KUL to SIN which is MYR-222, this works out to AUD$187 all up, which is cheaper than buying a complete Y return ticket, from what I have been quoted.